Special thanks to: http://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/
Prompt:
In a cold place just north of Sumatra, called the Blue Mountain Region, the laws preventing public physical content had long since been abolished.
"Hey there chap how are things?"
"Oh you know well, enough..."
"Cheers, to that!"
"It's cold yeh?"
"Oh ya...ruddy cold."
"Shall we start up a huddle then."
"Seems like the way to go."
The two men gave a concise understanding nod before thrusting themselves shoulder to shoulder. They walked steadily down the road pressing evenly against one another as they walked. Before any time at all, a young woman had joined the men. she was walking very close behind and had wrapped her arms around the two gentlemen's shoulders as if old friends. Though it was clear she had no relation to them. Another younger man came to her side and nestled up close to her while pushing on the gentlemen as well. The walk became a tad bit slower as the complication of walking with eight feet made a brisk pace impossible. Another older man came up in front and slowed the party even more, but not a single one seemed to mind. One by one people were joining the group at an alarming rate. Suddenly what had started as two men walking shoulder to shoulder had turned into a great a mass of people walking closer than comfortable. Yet if you asked a single one why they did it their answer would be just that...comfort.
"Hello, m'lady." A man tips his had walking up next to the pile.
"Do you mind if I join in" He asks.
"Of course not, hop in stranger." A woman replies with a smile.
"Oi' mate, room for another cold fella?" Another asks.
"Always is." Someone responds, and the man presses neatly into the amoeba of bodies pressing onward down the street.
It was an awkward sight to see, the people looked like the bubbles floating about on the top of a cappuccino. Whenever one would spill over the side of the sidewalk they would simply scuttle around to the back and queue up somewhere near, there. No one ever seemed to mind, shoving was common but not violently, only enough so that one could get to where they were going, or to pack in a little closer. The whole ordeal was carried out with unseen efficiency and speed. Whenever someone had reached their stop they seemed to effortlessly and flawlessly find their out, still it was with no small amount of coercing the bodies, which made a living obstacle around them. The exiting member would pop off and be left behind while someone else eagerly rotated and shifted in to fill their spot. It was impossible to tell if the two gentlemen who had started the fuss were even still a part of it.
A young woman had reached her stop and gracefully wriggled to the outside until she was free and the group shuffled past. Near by was a traveler, who's jaw was slack and hanging loosely from his cheeks. He was stricken with utter disbelief at the calamity he had witnessed. The young lady blushed and walked his direction. With a respectful. "ahem" she caught the foreigners attention, to which he promptly, and a tad embarrassed, snapped his open mouth shut.
"Wh-what on cafe was that" The man pointed with an intensely curled thumb protruding out from a fist full of curled fingers. It pointed in the direction of the ever advancing mass of people.
"That, dear gentle-sir, is a huddle. We do it for warmth. A'int you ever seen the penguins, on one of them television specials? A coat is nice, but it's not alive, it doesn't make it's own warmth. You know what does...?"
"A body...?"
"A body! It's twice as nice, and really not a big deal once ya get used to it."
The young lady chuckled and twirled about, retreating into the nearby building. The Traveler, walked out into the sidewalk in order to get a better view of the mass which was far off into the distance now. He looked across the street and saw a smaller group standing still but in the same kind of huddle. He saw a family walk out of a restaurant and do the same. He looked back at the shuffling feet of the mass from before. They were fading into the distance now and he had to squint to see them. He felt a sharp breeze nipping at his back. He felt an icy bite on his nose, and his cheeks received cold kisses from the humid air swirling around him. He let out a confused sigh as shivers rattled down his chattering bones. He had dressed for the occasion but it still seemed cold. The frosty breath from his sigh still hung in the air, and before he could finish wishing secretly to himself he was in one of those huddles, he heard a rumble from behind.
Suddenly he was swept up by another barreling group. He bounced from person to person, quickly uttering apologizes which were met with not a single sympathetic look. Eventually he could bounce no more, the mass of traveling bodies had swallowed him up. He felt his feet frantically shuffle beneath him. miraculously missing other feet. He got situated and felt that he was getting the hang of it. It wasn't so bad, and after all,. He was warm.
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